This is an application for partial funding of the second conference on Endothelium and Cardiovascular Function, to be held under the auspices of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), from July 28 to August 2, 1991, in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Participation will be limited to 200 scientists (including the speakers and discussion leaders), who will be selected on the basis of their expertise and interests as most likely to contribute to a stimulating and productive environment. The meeting, for the second time, will focus on the role of the endothelium in interacting with the blood and modulating the responsiveness of the underlying vascular smooth muscle in health and disease. It will also address the possible role of endothelium-derived mediators in non-vascular tissues. The conference will consist of nine scientific sessions, each with four to six speakers and a discussion leader; all will be investigators with wide experience in the endothelium and its function. In addition, a poster session will be held daily, which will allow more junior participants to present their data and discuss them with the authorities in the field. The central theme will be the ability of the endothelium to alter the amounts of anti-adhesive, anti-aggregatory and vasoactive factors made available to the blood components and/or to the underlying vascular smooth muscle. These discussions will permit the understanding of the true role of the endothelial cells in modulating the fluidity of the blood and local vasomotor responses under normal and pathological conditions. They will be key to determining the contribution of endothelium-dependent phenomena in the etiology of a variety of cardiovascular dysfunctions, and hence, provide insight into their rational treatment.